First introduced in the fall of 1988, Northwestern University's Integrated Arts Program was a multidisciplinary certificate
program offered through the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences (WCAS), giving students the opportunity to explore the creative
process from the perspective of the artist in the fields of theatre, visual arts, music, dance, and media arts. The records
document the planning, funding, and organization of the Program, as well as its activities and course offerings.

Acquisition Information:

The Records of the Integrated Arts Program were transferred to the University Archives by Alan Shefsky on April 8, 2004, as
Accession Number 04-53.

Biographical/Historical Information

First introduced in the fall of 1988, Northwestern University's Integrated Arts Program was a multidisciplinary certificate
program offered through the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences (WCAS). The program gave students the opportunity to explore
the creative process from the perspective of the artist, across disciplinary lines in the fields of theatre, visual arts,
music, dance, and media arts. Faculty members participating in the program included artists and scholars from WCAS, the School
of Music, and the School of Communication. The Program ceased to be offered as of the 2004 academic year.

The idea for the Integrated Arts Program originated in the spring of 1986, when President Arnold Weber appointed an ad hoc
committee to begin developing a comprehensive undergraduate curriculum integrating the fine and performing arts. Carol Simpson
Stern, Chairperson of the Department of Performance Studies in the School of Communication, chaired the committee. Stern was
able to secure a $75,000 grant from the Arthur Vining Davis Foundation to help establish the Integrated Arts Program. A grant
of $450,000 from the Ford Foundation was given to the Program from February of 1987 to August of 1991, and President Weber
also committed $250,000 in University funds.

The Integrated Arts Program offered between nine and twelve courses to be completed over one year. The introductory class,
A90, was taught by six faculty members and acquainted students with common concerns in the arts, utilizing the analytic paradigm
of artist/media/art work/ audience to understand the creative process. Two B-level courses were selected from B91 Modes of Theatre, Modes of Art, or Modes of Music, and two C-level courses were selected from a wide range of classes incorporating the three foundational arts: Music, Theatre,
and Visual Arts.

During October 6-8, 1995, aided by a $50,000 grant from the Ford Foundation, the Integrated Arts Program held a successful
national symposium at Northwestern. The three-day symposium explored the issues involved in the design and implementation
of undergraduate interdisciplinary art education, discussed strategies for curricular reform in the arts, and examined the
problematic role of the artist/scholar in academia.

The Integrated Arts Program was successful in allowing non-art majors to seek a unified course of study across the arts, while
art majors were able to gain further cross-disciplinary experience. The Program ceased to be offered as of the 2004 academic
year.

Scope and Content

The records of the Integrated Arts Program fill one box and span the years 1986 to 1999, with the bulk of the papers dating
between 1986 and 1991. The records document the planning, funding, and organization of the Program, as well as its activities,
and course offerings.

The Program background and introductory bulletins files are arranged chronologically and span the dates 1986 to 1998. They
contain several summaries of the Program including background, curriculum, proposed course syllabus guides, and participating
faculty. Of interest in the Program background file is a brief biography of the professors teaching courses in the Program
from the years 1987 to 1988.

Perhaps the most useful and comprehensive item in the series is a Program Notebook containing background, foundation, and
implementation documents. The notebook, originally housed in a binder, is divided into two sections—Notebook One and Notebook
Two—with each having two parts. Materials in the notebooks are arranged in reverse chronological order and date between 1986.
Notebook One, part I contains correspondence with the Ford Foundation concerning their approval of a $450,000 grant for the
Integrated Arts Program. Of significance are the financial and budget reports for the years 1989 to 2002. Part II contains
correspondence with the Arthur Vining Davis Foundation concerning their $75,000 grant and several letters from WCAS, Undergraduate
Affairs, Academic Affairs, and General Studies offering suggestions about the Program's curriculum. Of importance is a 28-page
overview of the Integrated Arts Program dated 1988.

Notebook Two, part I contains the meeting minutes of the Integrated Arts curriculum committee, including a list of its members.
Part II contains letters to Carol Simpson Stern from different art departments concerning the procedures for approving new
courses for the Program. Of special interest are a mission statement of the Integrated Arts Program drafted in April of 1987
and a profile of Northwestern dated April of 1986.

The correspondence file consists of Carol Simpson Stern's letters concerning recruitment and announcements of the Program.
Press releases and clippings include newspaper articles and an announcement of the Ford Foundation Grant.

The course descriptions file consists of syllabi and course descriptions of classes offered between 1987 and 1998. Of significance
is the file A90 containing a complete syllabus, including required readings, for the introductory class, and the file C90
containing the complete syllabus for the performance seminar and includes student's assignments.

Two undated exit surveys give an idea of student reaction to the Program. Student papers (access restricted) include four
dated 1999, one of the final years of the Program.